China pig production down in 2014, slaughter up

The number of pigs
produced in China was down in 2014, while the number of pigs slaughtered was up
when compared to 2013. During the year, the country raised 465.83 million pigs
and slaughtered 735.1 million pigs, for a 1.7 percent decrease and 2.7
percent increase from 2013, respectively. Pork production, at 56.71 million
metric tons, increased by 3.2 percent for the year.

The Chinese pig
industry suffered slightly because of an economic slowdown during the year. The
number of pigs slaughtered increased largely due to overcapacity, resulting
from the government’s support of the industry.

As China’s pig production
transitions from traditional methods to more modern production methods, a
few issues need to be addressed, according to a report provided by Smart
Agriculture Analytics. Those issues include:

Infrastructure: The
current mode of pig production is burdened by weak infrastructure. Individual
farmers slaughtering fewer than 50 pigs per year still account for roughly 30
percent of the industry. For larger farms, facilities and equipment are often
poorly maintained, and organized management is lacking.

Efficiency: Production
efficiency is lower and costs are higher than on pig farms in developed
nations, especially in terms of sow feeding rate and the number of pigs managed
per employee.

Safety: Since the level
of standardized production in China is still low, safety issues remain an
inevitable concern, according to the report.